WHETHER vacation hotspots like Japan, Cuba, Iceland, Morocco, Hawaii, India and the Arabian Gulf are at the top of your 2023 travel wish list, Kosher Travelers group travel offers the perfect solution.
And in the summer months, fully kosher ocean or river cruises are available.
All Kosher Travelers trips are enriched with visits to Jewish heritage sites, Shabbat programs and celebrity guest speakers.
In 2008, Melbourne couple David and Chana Walles and their family made aliyah and purchased Eddie’s Travel and Tourism Ltd which was founded in London in 1979. The company was renamed Kosher Travelers and quickly expanded to serve English-speaking Jewish travelers from around the world.
“Our customers come from countries like the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, South Africa and of course Australia,” said David The AJN by phone from Israel.
“People who join our tours don’t have to be orthodox. There are no religious criteria for joining our tours, cruises or hotel programs; We do not ask questions about your religious practice. The only common denominator among our guests is that they enjoy high-quality kosher cuisine and excellent Shabbat programs.
Kosher Travelers travel participants in Morocco.
“We design tours to destinations that are difficult to navigate alone. We bring our own team of chefs to prepare kosher meals wherever we go and we visit Jewish sites where appropriate.
“We recently brought more than 100 people to Iceland, which has become one of the trendiest travel destinations in the world, and the feedback has been excellent.”
Kosher Travelers has four 10-day Iceland tours planned in 2023 between June and October. Tours start in Reykjavik, the capital, and include natural wonders such as glaciers, hot springs, volcanoes and lava fields, snow-capped mountains, waterfalls and the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).
Other popular kosher destinations include Cuba, India, Italy, Japan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. Each tour is accompanied by an experienced English speaking local guide.
“It is the tour guide who makes or breaks a tour. We ensure the best guides available through thorough research and proven experience,” said David.
Following the signing of the Abraham Accords in September 2020, which normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, there has been a sharp increase in the number of Jewish travelers visiting Dubai and Abu Dhabi, including on tours organized by Kosher Travelers.
“We call our tours to the UAE ‘Missions’ as they include special speakers like David M. Weinberg, a brilliant strategic analyst and well-known diplomatic columnist, as well as guests from the Emirates,” said David.
“We have organized four tours to the UAE since December 2021, with our last sold out tours this month and next [November and December]. These tours offer a special family circuit that highlights the incredible adventure and water parks in Dubai.”
A Kosher Travelers tour group in Iceland.
Dubai is home to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world; Palm Jumeirah, an artificial island shaped like a palm tree; a ski hall; and theme parks as well as sumptuous markets and historic sites.
Abu Dhabi is considered the richest city in the world, with attractions such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum and the Presidential Palace.
Morocco’s fusion of French, African, Arabic and Islamic cultures, as well as its rich Jewish history, make it a fascinating travel destination. Kosher Travelers tours the famous cities of Fes, Marrakech and Casablanca and takes you overnight glamping in the Sahara.
Last year Kosher Travelers launched educational tours of Israel’s wine landscape with two and three day tours to high-end wineries, accompanied by a scholar and accredited wine connoisseur.
Kosher Travelers will soon be announcing tours for 2023 to wineries in Binyamin and Shomron, the Upper Galilee, the southern Hebron Hills and central Israel.
Next month, David and Chana are traveling to Hawaii for a tour with Rabbi David Fohrman. The 70-person, four-island tour will visit Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and the Big Island over 10 days.
“All participants have told us that this Hawaii tour has been on their wish list for decades, but they have never managed to make it fully kosher at the highest level,” said David.
For more information and to receive a free newsletter, please visit koshertravelers.com
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